Instant Diversion: FreeShisen

Recently, I bought an EPSON Perfection V500 scanner, and I spent last weekend scanning piles of negatives. One thing about scanning negatives is that it involves a lot of waiting: you click the Scan button and then wait till the contraption does its scanning thing.

Meanwhile, you need to find a diversion to keep you entertained. Having a good game app for Android would definitely help. And after rummaging through the F-Droid repository, I found a perfect candidate for the job. FreeShisen is based on the Shisen-Sho Japanese game. The game has a lot in common with the popular tile-based game of Mahjong, but it has more elaborate tiles and rules.

FreeShisen in all its beauty

Despite that, you can master the game’s basics in a matter of minutes. Depending on the level of difficulty and your skills, a single game usually takes between 5-10 minutes — perfect for passing time between scans. The app is open source and available through F-Droid and Google Play Store.